Transcript
ANDREW MINOGUE: What will be happening for Tahiti next year is in the two sports that were sort of the subject matter of the boycott last year, boxing and rugby where there's two different national federations both competing for recognition and stature, we've accepted an offer from the Olympic Committee that they would oversee the selection of athletes in those two sports, which is not a normal process. They will actually be involved in selecting the athletes and then entering them. We've had acceptance of that offer from the two Oceania federations for boxing and for rugby - they've got a few conditions attached to that, which is just to make sure that their rules are followed in any selection trial or event that's held over there to pick the athletes.
VINNIE WYLIE: Athletes competing for whatever federation it may be - the one recognised by the international body or the one recognised by the French Polynesian government - athletes from both of those will be considered for selection?
AM: That's the understanding that we have, that the Olympic Committee will basically take charge of the selection process in those two sports with athletes from wherever they're attached to eligible for selection. Right at the moment the two federations that the Tahitian Government recognises are not the federations that the international federation recognises so there is that continuing confusion that there are rival bodies so our normal protocol at the Pacific Games is we follow the international federation's membership but in Tahiti they've got different considerations over there.
VW: This is some form of a compromise I guess?
AM: That's right, so that all of the athletes across all of the sports aren't being unnecessarily held back by a dispute that's taking place in two of the sports so it's a compromise solution. I think it's a one-time solution only because by the time rugby and boxing are next on the Pacific Games programme, which will be in 2023, that's five years from now. You would well and truly expect these affiliation issues are resolved and sorted out so we're trying to get through the next 12 months and having the Tahitian athletes back with us next year.
VW: Are you confident the Olympic Committee is separate from the government and there won't be any interference?
AM: The Olympic Committee received an assurance from the President, when he was recently re-elected in national elections up in French Polynesia, that the President and his government fully respect the autonomy of the Olympic Committee. That's good enough for us - we don't need that assurance directly from the President to us. It's come to the Olympic Committee, that's fine. We've got good, open channels of communication with the Olympic Committee at the moment and that's sufficient for us.
